ev.news Briefly: BMW, Rivian, Renault & more | 01 Oct 2026
Oct 03, 05:00 AM
Share
Subscribe
➤ BMW I3 OPENS RESERVATIONS WITH 912 KM WLTP RANGE
➤ BMW PLANS ENTRY-LEVEL NEUE KLASSE EV FOR 2028
➤ RIVIAN R2 PET CAM WON’T WORK WITH PEOPLE INSIDE
➤ RENAULT MEGANE DROPS TO £28,245 AND CHARGES FASTER
➤ GOTION LIFTS SOLID-STATE BATTERY GOAL TO 400 WH/KG
➤ EUROPE COULD HAVE ENOUGH EU-MADE BATTERY CELLS BY 2030
➤ MERCEDES GETS FIRST LOOK AT PROLOGIUM’S GEN4 CELLS
➤ LEAPMOTOR C10 RAISES CHARGING FROM 84 TO 120 KW
➤ T&E SAYS EV DEPRECIATION GAP SHRINKS 80%
➤ PORSCHE BOSS REJECTS ANTI-EV LABEL AS PETROL MACAN RETURNS
BMW i3 OPENS RESERVATIONS WITH 912 KM WLTP RANGE
BMW has opened reservations for the new electric i3, led by the 50 xDrive with a 108.7 kWh battery, 345 kW dual-motor AWD, up to 912 km/567 miles WLTP range and 400 kW charging that can add up to 423 km/263 miles in 10 minutes. Prices start at €65,900 in Germany and $61,500 before destination in the US, with UK deliveries due autumn 2026, bringing BMW’s Neue Klasse technology into the core 3 Series market with genuinely long-range capability.
BMW PLANS ENTRY-LEVEL NEUE KLASSE EV FOR 2028
BMW is planning a smaller Neue Klasse EV for Europe in 2028, reportedly known internally as NB0 and expected to become the i1, with rear-wheel drive and possible dual-motor versions rather than the front-wheel-drive layout of today’s 1 Series. With the combustion 1 Series expected to remain into the early 2030s, BMW could sell two similarly sized hatchbacks in parallel as Neue Klasse technology moves into a more price-sensitive part of the market.
BMW is planning a smaller Neue Klasse EV for Europe in 2028, reportedly known internally as NB0 and expected to become the i1, with rear-wheel drive and possible dual-motor versions rather than the front-wheel-drive layout of today’s 1 Series. With the combustion 1 Series expected to remain into the early 2030s, BMW could sell two similarly sized hatchbacks in parallel as Neue Klasse technology moves into a more price-sensitive part of the market.
RIVIAN R2 PET CAM WON’T WORK WITH PEOPLE INSIDE
Rivian will add Pet Cam to every R2 through an OTA update, allowing owners using Pet Comfort Mode to view the cabin through the colour rear-view-mirror camera and receive optional snapshots once per minute. The feature will automatically disable if it detects a person inside, a deliberate privacy safeguard that highlights both the flexibility and surveillance risks of increasingly software-defined vehicles.
Rivian will add Pet Cam to every R2 through an OTA update, allowing owners using Pet Comfort Mode to view the cabin through the colour rear-view-mirror camera and receive optional snapshots once per minute. The feature will automatically disable if it detects a person inside, a deliberate privacy safeguard that highlights both the flexibility and surveillance risks of increasingly software-defined vehicles.
RENAULT MEGANE DROPS TO £28,245 AND CHARGES FASTER
The refreshed Renault Megane E-Tech Electric now starts at £28,245 in the UK after the £3,750 Electric Car Grant, with a 67 kWh LFP battery, up to 306 miles WLTP range and faster 165 kW DC charging capable of 15–80% in about 24 minutes. The combination of a sub-£30,000 price, more than 300 miles of quoted range and shorter charging stops substantially improves its competitiveness against mainstream electric hatchbacks and crossovers.
The refreshed Renault Megane E-Tech Electric now starts at £28,245 in the UK after the £3,750 Electric Car Grant, with a 67 kWh LFP battery, up to 306 miles WLTP range and faster 165 kW DC charging capable of 15–80% in about 24 minutes. The combination of a sub-£30,000 price, more than 300 miles of quoted range and shorter charging stops substantially improves its competitiveness against mainstream electric hatchbacks and crossovers.
GOTION LIFTS SOLID-STATE BATTERY GOAL TO 400 Wh/kg
Gotion has raised its sulfide solid-state battery energy-density target from 350 to 400 Wh/kg after commissioning a 0.2 GWh pilot line, conducting vehicle tests and designing a planned 2 GWh production line. Small-scale production has previously been targeted for 2027 and mass production for 2030, but 400 Wh/kg remains a development target rather than a specification for cells approaching series production.
Gotion has raised its sulfide solid-state battery energy-density target from 350 to 400 Wh/kg after commissioning a 0.2 GWh pilot line, conducting vehicle tests and designing a planned 2 GWh production line. Small-scale production has previously been targeted for 2027 and mass production for 2030, but 400 Wh/kg remains a development target rather than a specification for cells approaching series production.
EUROPE COULD HAVE ENOUGH EU-MADE BATTERY CELLS BY 2030
A new analysis concludes that Europe could have enough EU-made battery cells by 2030 to meet demand within the study’s scope, including corporate and private EVs, meaning cell manufacturing capacity itself need not block stronger European-content rules. The bigger challenge is extending localisation beyond cells into cathodes and other battery components so that industrial policy builds a broader European supply chain rather than simply European cell factories.
A new analysis concludes that Europe could have enough EU-made battery cells by 2030 to meet demand within the study’s scope, including corporate and private EVs, meaning cell manufacturing capacity itself need not block stronger European-content rules. The bigger challenge is extending localisation beyond cells into cathodes and other battery components so that industrial policy builds a broader European supply chain rather than simply European cell factories.
MERCEDES GETS FIRST LOOK AT PROLOGIUM’S GEN4 CELLS
Mercedes-Benz has secured priority access to ProLogium’s Gen4 cells for electrical, thermal and safety testing, extending a partnership dating to 2016 but stopping well short of a production commitment. ProLogium claims its non-flammable inorganic electrolyte and ceramic separator can improve safety, energy density, charging and cold-weather performance, while its planned Dunkirk factory could eventually reach 44 GWh annually if the technology proves suitable for production.
Mercedes-Benz has secured priority access to ProLogium’s Gen4 cells for electrical, thermal and safety testing, extending a partnership dating to 2016 but stopping well short of a production commitment. ProLogium claims its non-flammable inorganic electrolyte and ceramic separator can improve safety, energy density, charging and cold-weather performance, while its planned Dunkirk factory could eventually reach 44 GWh annually if the technology proves suitable for production.
LEAPMOTOR C10 RAISES CHARGING FROM 84 TO 120 KW
Leapmotor’s 2027 C10 update raises DC charging on the 69.9 kWh Pro BEV from 84 to 120 kW, cutting a 30–80% charge to about 24 minutes, while the 81.9 kWh ProMax offers up to 519 km WLTP range. Other changes include more luggage space, a front trunk and upgraded infotainment, but the faster charging is the most important improvement because it removes one of the cheaper BEV’s clearest long-distance weaknesses.
Leapmotor’s 2027 C10 update raises DC charging on the 69.9 kWh Pro BEV from 84 to 120 kW, cutting a 30–80% charge to about 24 minutes, while the 81.9 kWh ProMax offers up to 519 km WLTP range. Other changes include more luggage space, a front trunk and upgraded infotainment, but the faster charging is the most important improvement because it removes one of the cheaper BEV’s clearest long-distance weaknesses.
T&E SAYS EV DEPRECIATION GAP SHRINKS 80%
Transport & Environment says the apparent depreciation gap between EVs and combustion cars falls from 12.9 to 2.6 percentage points when subsidies, acquisition taxes, inflation, fleet composition and changing new-car prices are included in the calculation. The analysis uses Autovista transaction data from Germany, France, Italy and Spain but is T&E’s own reinterpretation rather than a new dataset, arguing that EV depreciation remains higher but is substantially overstated by conventional comparisons.
Transport & Environment says the apparent depreciation gap between EVs and combustion cars falls from 12.9 to 2.6 percentage points when subsidies, acquisition taxes, inflation, fleet composition and changing new-car prices are included in the calculation. The analysis uses Autovista transaction data from Germany, France, Italy and Spain but is T&E’s own reinterpretation rather than a new dataset, arguing that EV depreciation remains higher but is substantially overstated by conventional comparisons.
PORSCHE BOSS REJECTS ANTI-EV LABEL AS PETROL MACAN RETURNS
Porsche’s chief executive has rejected claims that he is anti-EV as the company prepares another petrol Macan for 2028 following weaker electric Macan demand, with EV sales down 40% year-on-year in the first half while combustion Macan sales rose 2%. Porsche is still developing electric models including the 718, but its strategy is becoming deliberately mixed as it balances EV investment against stronger combustion demand and profitability in some markets.
Porsche’s chief executive has rejected claims that he is anti-EV as the company prepares another petrol Macan for 2028 following weaker electric Macan demand, with EV sales down 40% year-on-year in the first half while combustion Macan sales rose 2%. Porsche is still developing electric models including the 718, but its strategy is becoming deliberately mixed as it balances EV investment against stronger combustion demand and profitability in some markets.